Tom Lounsbury: Going the extra mile to keep the Cass River beautiful

This truckload of trash was gathered from the Cass River last Saturday during an annual cleanup by volunteers from the Cass River Greenway.

This truckload of trash was gathered from the Cass River last Saturday during an annual cleanup by volunteers from the Cass River Greenway.

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This truckload of trash was gathered from the Cass River last Saturday during an annual cleanup by volunteers from the Cass River Greenway.

This truckload of trash was gathered from the Cass River last Saturday during an annual cleanup by volunteers from the Cass River Greenway.

Tom Lounsbury: Going the extra mile to keep the Cass River beautiful

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One can only wonder what sort of person can throw garbage and junk over a bridge railing and into a beautiful river, but I've witnessed the results of such behavior my entire life on my beloved Cass River.

You can get a good grasp of the enormity of the situation if you are into late-summer wade-fishing, which I have been doing on the Upper Reaches since I was a kid. Late summer usually means the lowest water depths of the river, which can reveal a whole lot.

It seems the main item being tossed over the railings of country bridges is rubber tires, which never biodegrade much, if at all, and I'm sure I've been looking at some of the same tires in the Cass River for over 60 years now.

However, they don't stay in the same place due to heavy and fast springtime currents that move them readily downstream at a slow but steady pace. That's probably a good thing for a more scenic effect when folks drive across a bridge. The reality, though, is that the tires are still there, somewhere, forever unless someone removes them.

The Cass River Greenway (CRG) has been striving diligently to clean the Cass River of trash (including countless tires) on various stretches each summer, and thus far has covered 45 miles of the river, from downstream of Bridgeport, all the way upstream to near Cass City.

To date, CRG volunteers have removed over 700 tires, two engine blocks, a vintage cast-iron stove, an axle with antique wheels attached, car doors and hoods, a large number of 50-gallon drums, orange road barrels, an iron tractor wheel, a picnic table and countless lawn chairs.

Ironically, the only bottles and cans that the volunteers have picked up are mostly very old. Maybe this is because takeout food these days entails primarily paper cups.

On June 10, 2017, the CRG held its ninth annual cleanup near Cass City, from just upstream of the Cemetery Road Bridge, downstream to the Dodge Road Bridge.

Volunteers did a great job picking up trash, which entails wading and towing canoes for hauling the trash to drop-off points.

However, the deeper-than-usual water depths during that timeframe last year made the effort a bit challenging. Extra rainfall (including occasional flooding) kept the Cass River up for awhile, as shown by the fact that I had no problem canoeing from Cass City to Caro well into July last summer.

For that reason, the CRG planned to hold its 10th annual cleanup later in the summer, on Saturday, Aug. 18, covering from the Dodge Road Bridge near Cass City, downstream to just beyond the Hurds Corner Road Bridge.

The base of operations would be at Kappen Tree Service, which had graciously arranged an area for the collected trash, including tires, to be taken for an arranged pickup. (The Tuscola County Board of Commissioners graciously arranged for tire disposal, and the City of Vassar generously provided canoes and a canoe trailer.)

Mother Nature, however, can be real fickle despite the best-laid plans. Due to an unusually dry summer, the depth of the Cass River, especially here on the Upper Reaches, is at an all-time low.

Wading the river wasn't a problem (except for the occasional deep holes), but dragging heavily trash-laden canoes to prearranged pickup sites proved to be an ordeal when the canoes bottomed out.

And tires quickly add up in weight, especially when they are muddy and algae-covered.

It turns out that the Dodge Road Bridge must be a favorite "stop-quick-and-throw-them-over-the-railing" spot for tires. The teams for various stretches of the river to the Hurds Corner Road Bridge located and collect 110 tires, which included two large tractor tires and a couple of semi truck tires, which are a real load to remove and handle just on their own.

Needless to say, moving all the tires to the pickup points (which were color-coded on a detailed map and marked with matching flags) was impossible due to the countless shallow and rocky stretches through which the canoes would have to be dragged while fully loaded.

The decision was made, and wisely so, to pile the tires on the riverbank at set, marked locations, to be removed later when water levels rise high enough to allow for it, which will most likely be this fall.

Most folks assume that the Upper Reaches of the Cass River are only navigable with canoes and kayaks during the spring and early summer, but such isn't the case at all. Autumn rains frequently cause the Cass River to rise sufficiently to allow quite decent canoeing and kayaking.

I do enjoy a paddle down the Cass during the fall color time. I also volunteered to assist with going back to remove those tires, because I want that ugly mess out of my favorite river. I'm now pondering how to lash a large tractor tire across the top of a canoe, or probably a pair of canoes. There is no question that it took more than one person, obviously none too bright, to energetically get those big tires over a bridge railing.

Due to a recently wrenched knee, I wasn't with one of the wading teams pulling canoes, but I was on hand to drop them off and later assist in getting them and any trash aboard the canoes out of the river. One very steep embankment proved to be a bit of a challenge, requiring ropes and teamwork.

It was a real pleasure during this recent river cleanup to meet Robert and Emily Sivak, who have just started a canoe/kayak and tube rental this summer in Vassar, on the Cass River. This is due to the fact that the Cass River Greenway has helped to create an official water trail on the Cass River from Saginaw upstream to Enos Park on M-46, by developing canoe/kayak launches at various sites.

Besides the Sivak Boat and Tube Rental in Vassar, Frankenmuth Kayak Adventures is further downstream. Both businesses offer great equipment and services, which include the convenience of dropoff and pickup, as well as handling your watercraft for a small fee.

A month ago, I completed paddling the Cass River from Cass City to Saginaw, which required five day trips to complete, beginning near the end of April, and I met some mighty fine folks to share the adventure with.

The historic Cass River is not a tiny stream by any means, and it offers a unique beauty and serenity down its entire length in the Thumb. The Cass can definitely hold its own with any river in Michigan.

That's why it's worth every ounce of effort to keep it free from trash.